Star Wars: Revenge of the Fox
by TsknRaider
Summary: AU. The Empire invades the planet when Naruto is 12, killing almost everyone he ever cared about. Having formed a team, this is his quest for revenge. Naruto/Star Wars crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Yeah, I don't own Naruto or Star Wars!

AN: Yeah, I've always played around with this idea. This is my latest attempt! Read and Review!

Captain Tai, an officer in the 497th legion in service to the Emperor, watched his soldiers scurry about. They were like ants, insignificant drones ready to die for a cause they had no true understanding of. They rushed up on the walls with turret emplacements, tripping over themselves as they struggled to mount the heavy weapon securely. Others serviced the air support, checking the various sensors and gauges. And yet more simply waited grimly for the inevitable attack, their fingers twitching nervously near the triggers of their DC-23 rifles.

Tai watched impassively from the command tower in the middle of the base. What was the point? They were all going to die. Their enemies were shinobi, trained killers, not peasants on some backwater planet. Many analysts compared them to Jedi without the taboo against killing. And everyone knew how effective of a force they were before the Purge. But still, the preparations gave the men hope; something to keep their minds off things.

His thoughts kept turning to his home world of Coruscant. Of how he wished he could see it one last time. To hold his wife, to hug his newborn daughter. It pained him to know she would be growing up without a father. His heart sank.

Footsteps came from behind him. It was his second in command, Lt. Jain. He steeled his visage; it would not do for his men to see his despair, although he suspected they all felt the same.

"Sir, all preparations have been completed. We await your orders." a rough voice reported.

Tai continued to stare at his command. Their postures radiated determination; the will to live. They were prepared to fight, for their families, for their honor, and most importantly, for their right to continue living.

'_Perhaps we have a chance,' he mused._

-break

Naruto Uzumaki crouched low on the ground a few miles away from the Imperial base under Tai's command, his fingers tracing a route on a map. His mouth worked slowly, carefully explaining the role of each of the shinobi in the coming attack. They surrounded him, silent, loyal, hanging on his every word. He had hunted them, recruited them as weapons, but with each act of spilt blood, they had become something more. Friends? Siblings?

"Deidara will blow a hole through their defenses here," Naruto finally finished, indicating a section of wall on the right side of the enemy base, "that will be the signal for Kisame to summon mist for cover." He looked to the shark faced man. "Put enough chakra in it to disable their sensors."

If anything, this seemed to piss the shark ninja off. "I know how to handle myself, kid," Kisame snapped, "I've…"

"Please spare us the war stories, Kisame-san," Neji said dryly, "I don't think I could take another one of your graphic descriptions of amputation." The arm of said mist-nin wrapped around the young Hyuuga's neck, and the boy found himself subjugated to a painful noogie.

Their antics seemed to lighten the mood considerably, and even Naruto found himself smiling. "Okay, I guess you all know what to do, let's get to it!"

"Hai!" his team replied, before teleporting away in swirls of leaves.

In the sudden quiet, the blonde jinchuuriki stared at the cloudy sky. The sun shone brightly, the clouds lazily moving across the horizon. He closed his eyes, felt the breeze on his skin. It was so…peaceful, a word not often used anymore. If only **she **had been here to enjoy it. With a sigh, Naruto disappeared after his companions.

-break

Captain Tai sat in his office taking another sip of his drink. Liquid courage he had casually joked. Over time the contents of the bottle grew smaller and smaller, and his mind started to wander. When he had been assigned to this planet, he had been overjoyed. A recently discovered planet with rebellious natives, this was a place to make a name for himself. He had imagined the glory of conquering a planet, showing this new world the strength of the Empire and welcoming them into its embrace. The truth was not so honorable.

The Empire wasn't interested in glory or honor. They didn't want the planet's resources, or the knowledge the natives here had acquired. This was genocide, plain and simple. Entire villages were slaughtered during the initial attacks. The men, the women, not even the children were spared.

The military strength of this world was primitive. Swords and other simple weapons were commonly used as the weapon of choice. The only force that could offer any resistance was the shinobi forces. Fierce warriors wielding powers much like the Jedi were rumored to possess, they destroyed hundreds of Imperial patrols. So in retaliation, the higher ups had every trace of civilization glassed from orbit. Within a week, all of the shinobi villages had fallen. In two, everything from a sprawling city to a dirty mud hut was nothing more than a crater.

For several years there was peace. Colonists had started to arrive and several large settlements had been founded. That's when the shinobi returned. At first, it was missing patrols. Believed to be the last struggling of a dying race, it was considered a minor inconvenience. When they blew up a small settlement, they were taken a bit more seriously. When they wiped out a large fort, they became a true threat.

Back when he was a private, Tai was with a squad that stumbled upon the remains of a missing patrol. It had been … slaughtered. The smell of blood and rotting flesh had overwhelmed him, and he fell on his knees and retched. Heads were missing from bodies, some had their entrails hanging out, but they all had one common characteristic. They were all missing their hearts. It was then that Tai realized that shinobi were not men. Such cruelty and barbarism couldn't possible come from a human being. Shinobi were demons, monsters, and dark things, taken human form to destroy. He would see them dead.

Captain Tai's musing were interrupted as a stormtrooper walked in and saluted.

"Sir, may I be permitted to speak?"

"What is it, soldier?" Tai responded, giving the man his full attention.

"Sir, I have a wife waiting back home on Coruscant," the stormtrooper pulled a letter from his back pouch and handed it to him, "I want her to get this should I die."

He took the letter carefully. "It will be done," Tai promised, clasping the man's arm, "You have my word." With a salute, the stormtrooper turned and left.

Tai grimaced as he looked at the letter. In all probability, none of them were going to leave this planet alive. Their orders were to hold position until more reinforcements arrived, but judging by the caliber of shinobi they were about to fight, the amount of men he had wouldn't be nearly enough to hold off an assault. Glancing at the envelope, he realized there was no address. Sighing, he left his office and approached the man at his post on the western wall. Holding up the letter, "Soldier, I'm going to need a name and identification number."

Turning to salute, the stormtrooper began, "It's Ra…"

A massive explosion blew through the barricaded gate below, engulfing three men unfortunate enough to be stationed there with shrapnel and flames leaving their armored bodies a blackened mess. Twisted metal and melted slag groaned as the full weight of the wall bore down on the now weakened supports.

The stormtrooper grabbed Tai by the shoulder, "Sir, you gotta get outta here!" Pushing him towards the stairway, "This isn't gonna ho…!" Within seconds, the wall collapsed sending men screaming to be crushed or worse.

Tai felt himself falling. Looking around, he saw the stormtrooper who grabbed him falling to his right. Until a melted rod stopped his fall, piercing his armored chest as he continued to slide down. "God, I hope that doesn't happen to me!" was the captains last thought before hitting the ground.

-break

Deidara considered himself an artist. Some would look at his chosen profession and see it as monstrous as the mouths that salivated in his hands. But when his clay bird hit that wall, and the explosion ripped through both metal and flesh, it was worth it. As the heat washed over his face, blowing his blonde hair in the wind, it was worth it. Thinking of his childhood, the whispers behind his back, being called "freak" and "creepy", it was worth it. Art is a bang, yeah! Killing stormtroopers was just an added bonus.

At first, he had admired the Empire. The first time they had called down the green lasers, it had left quite an impression in his mind. But when they started killing civilians, he realized their threat. What good was his art when there was no one left to appreciate it? That's when he started killing them. The stormtroopers, they were easy. As long as he was high up, he could kill them with little effort and no risk. It's when they had their flying machines, their great metal beasts, that the Empire was truly deadly.

It was his first encounter with these "Tie-Fighters" that left him without his right arm. He had been in the sky riding one of his clay creations, having just destroyed a minor patrol, when it came upon him. He heard the whine of its engine as it flew at him at speeds he couldn't match. There was no escape, it fired, and he felt a searing heat on his right side as the shot flew past.

At first, he felt nothing. And then all at once, all the nerves in his body seemed to burn, filling him with agonizing pain. He blacked out, and when he awoke, he was staring up at the sky. He could feel himself falling, the air rushing past him. Using his arms, he attempted to slow himself down, uselessly flapping in the wind. One arm would not respond to his call, as there was only so much one could do with a burned stump.

The Tie-Fighter flew above him, heading back to wherever the hell it came from. This allowed him to appreciate the simplicity of its design, for even Deidara could admit it had some artistic qualities. He blacked out again when he hit the ground.

He had dreamed. At first, it had showed him his childhood. The rejection and fear that accompanied a young boy with mouths in his hands. It showed his genin team, the only people he truly could count as friends. It showed their death, the wounds carved in their bodies by the Konoha shinobi. It showed him his abandonment of Iwa, and his final gift to the village in the form of an exploding Tsuchikage tower. Then he woke up.

A cooling sensation was the first thing he felt upon regaining consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he saw…pink. It was a girl, her glowing hand over the right side of his chest. She was healing him. She was pretty, although a bit young for his tastes, with green eyes framed by a determined face, with shoulder length bubblegum pink hair.

"That was quite a display." she greeted, breaking the ice.

Deidara was at a loss of words. Never had he met a girl that appreciated his art. "Thank…you," he croaked, his throat quite dry.

"You can thank me by not talking!" she scolded, "The energy you were hit with vaporized your right arm and the stress in your nerves is causing the rest of your body to dehydrate." She moved her hand lower, to his abdomen. "What were you thinking? Do you have a death wish? The …"

As the pink banshee continued to rant, Deidara noticed two masculine figures standing behind her. One was a blonde male, although a much brighter shade of blonde than his, with well defined whisker marks and cold blue eyes. The other had black hair and black eyes, as well as an arrogant smirk, one which he could recognize anywhere.

"An Uchiha," the blonde demolitionist spat, earning a glare from said person.

"Deidara, formerly of the organization Akatsuki," Whiskers interrupted, before his companion could do anything foolish, "You are a hard man to find."

"My rates aren't cheap." the demolitionist replied, already knowing where this is going.

Whiskers looked at him casually. "After you here my offer, you might have a change of heart," he suggested finally.

Deidara listened, clearly intrigued.

"This world is dead, Deidara, our people have been wiped out. You've seen it, not a single child roams the streets of Iwa, nor anywhere for that matter. Only the strong have survived, to wander until the Empire takes the time to muster the strength to kill them as well. And you know they have the resources to do so. Your art is feared by every Imperial soldier on this planet, but when they die, who will remember. If we work together, if we take the fight to them, your art could be known throughout the entire galaxy."

It was a tempting offer, Deidara had to admit, but there were many risks. "What's in it for you?"

The pink haired medic, seeing his indecision, drew his attention to her, "Please, Deidara-sama!" she begged. "With your power we can avenge our friends and families. I can avenge…" she choked on the words, the ghosts of tears in her eyes.

Deidara looked closely at the young girl, searching for any hints of deception. He could find none. "Fine," he agreed, turning back to Whiskers, "I owe you guys my life anyways. Guess that means I'm in, yeah."

Whiskers smiled and took the blonde demolitionists hand, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

The Uchiha sneered, "Sasuke."

The pink haired medic-nin smiled and bowed, "My name is Sakura Haruno."

Thinking of the pretty kunoichi brought a smile on Deidara's face as he flew over the Imperial compound. "I wonder if she'd be interested in someone like me," he wondered before turning his attention back to the battle. He grabbed a large clay figurine from the bag at his side. "Time to show off my art!" he crowed, throwing it into the air. Using his chakra, the blonde primed it, making it grow larger and larger until it was the size of a small cow. "Art is a bang!" he yelled, putting his hand into a familiar seal, as the figurine plummeted towards the Tie-Fighters scrambling to take off.

The explosion was massive, and without shielding, the aircraft had little defense. The heat from the blast was so intense it had the added bonus of igniting the fuel rods powering the ships, doubling the force of the explosion, sending troopers flying to the ground.

Deidara laughed as he flew away.

-break

Kisame was having fun. His mist had covered the advance of the attacking ninja perfectly. He rushed into a group of nervous stormtroopers, their guns shaking as they nervously searched through the mist. Standing silently in their formation, he readied his sword, Samehada. "Don't rely too heavily on the sensors in your helmets," the shark man laughed, "I've put enough chakra in this mist to blind a Hyuuga." This earned a snort from his companion.

The troopers turned to face him, fear evident in their movements. With one sweep of Samehada, he swiped them away, feeling the cracking in their armor, and relishing in their screams of pain.

Neji Hyuuga, ducking as a body soared over his head, asked, "Do you always have to play with them, Kisame-san?"

"Hey brat! In this day and age, you take pleasure where you can find it!" Kisame smiled at him, his pointed teeth forming a parody of the expression that normally meant happiness.

"I'll keep that in mind." the young Hyuuga said honestly. Ducking a blaster shot, Neji rushed the offending stormtrooper, using his chakra to enhance his speed to get within its guard. He thrust his palm forward, slamming it lightly into the trooper's chest.

If Neji had been a normal boy, such a blow would have been pathetic, humorous even. But Neji was a Hyuuga, and with such a family comes great knowledge in the clan taijutsu, Jyuuken. Chakra stabbed deep into the trooper's chest, reaching for his heart. A second later, said organ exploded with a painful burst, and the stormtrooper had the unpleasant experience of having blood rush out of his mouth before blacking out.

Kisame nodded in acknowledgement. Despite his age, Neji was a formidable opponent. Without a word, they spun and charged back into the fray.

-break

Captain Tai knew his life was forfeit as soon as he woke up. The shinobi had destroyed his air support, along with much of the other defenses. The mist prevented him from seeing how many of his men still lived, but judging from the minimal blaster fire he could here, the odds weren't good. Grabbing the pistol at his side, he prepared to join his men in death.

-break

Naruto walked over the corpses of the Imperials. Some had horrific burns, fusing their bodies to the armor. Others were crushed, their armor cracked just like the bones in their bodies. Still more were pierced, with ice needles lodged in their throats, or slashed, the blood leaking from the deep cuts.

An Imperial saw him, an officer by the looks of him. He carried a pistol in his right hand, and to his credit, there was no fear on his face.

"You are going to die," the blond jinchuuriki promised, "for what your people did to mine." Rushing the man, he drew a kunai in his left hand. He was met with blaster fire, which he ducked or sidestepped, never breaking stride. When he was within arm distance of the man he pivoted on his right foot, turning to the left and sliding right behind him, the kunai at his neck.

"You are going to die," Naruto restated.

The man cursed in his language, but retorted with one word Naruto did understand. "Demon!"

The blood spray was immense. It drenched the front of the man's clothing. Naruto put away his now bloody kunai and pushed the body to the ground. He stared at it, breathing angrily, before lifting his foot and crushing in its skull. He looked at his hands. They were crimson now, and Naruto had the sneaking suspicion that no matter how much he washed them, they would always be covered in red, new or old.

The mist soon dissipated, revealing the carnage that remained. The bodies of stormtroopers were scattered, all dead. There were still fires going on in isolated parts of the base, the result of Deidara's handiwork.

It was night now, and the moon shone blood red, as if showing approval for the slaughter. Naruto stared at it. He could his team waiting patiently behind him, watching. They were fourteen in number, including himself, all prepared to die for his dream, his vengeance. For when he stared at the moon, he saw only the masked demon with its scarlet blade humming in its hands.

"Anko-chan," the blonde whispered, "I will avenge you."


	2. Chapter 2

I don't anything.

Yeah, sorry for the long wait! I've been busy with school and stuff. Plus, writing is a lot harder than it looks. I've been looking for a beta reader, seeing as I don't have much faith in my own writing skills. But enough about me, here's chapter two!

_Chapter 2_

"_Nee-chan!" a twelve year old Naruto cried out, as he ran through the gates of Konoha. The dead were scattered, many had fallen during their attempts to escape the green fire; ninja, civilians, all lay dead on the ground; most with burns covering their bodies or simply missing appendages. He looked for his "sister" amongst the corpses, the snake mistress of Konoha, Anko Mitarashi. She had been one of the only people to ever truly accept him. He had Iruka and Sandaime, too, but he could always sense a bit of resentment from his scarred teacher, and he figured the Hokage was only nice to him because of guilt. Anko had been the one to truly understand him._

_ He heard explosions up ahead, as well as screams of the dying. He ran, hoping to find his Anko-chan. He was about to wish he hadn't. _

_A group of Konoha nin was surrounded by the white armored men that had destroyed their village. Anko was among them, as well as the Hokage. _

_Blasterfire ripped through their ranks; ninja poofing away into smoke and leaving logs to be destroyed in their place. Eventually, only the snake mistres remained. Cursing, Anko fell on one knee, her left leg smoking from a blastershot. _

_Naruto waited in anticipation for the Hokage's dramatic reentrance; waited for him to sweep to Anko's rescue, like the hero everyone made him out to be. It never came. _

_Anko gritted her teeth and stumbled back on her feet, a kunai held defensively in front of her. The armored men advanced, surrounded her, and readied their guns. A command halted them, and they parted for a figure behind them. It was tall, and covered in black armor from head to toe. It radiated authority, as well as a sense of power. There was also something else. Something dark, that filled Naruto's heart with fear. It was evil, like the demon sealed in his stomach._

_It grabbed a cylinder from its side, and a blade of crimson light sprung from its hands. Holding it in a casual position, the figure waited for Anko to make the first move. _

_Yelling obscenities, she pointed her right arm at her black armored foe. Snakes shot out of her sleeves, flying quickly at the target with fangs extended._

_With a speed that belied its size, the demon rushed to the side, his blade outstretched, severing the heads of the incoming serpents. _

_Anko cursed again, realizing her predicament. This man clearly outclassed her. To make matters worse, she was nearly out of chakra. Running through her options, she knew she had only one shot. She charged, drawing a pair of kunai, one in each hand. She knew that even if her gambit worked, her life would be forfeit. This was her duty, and she had no second thoughts as she continued to run forward._

_She threw one kunai at his head, but his blade batted it away. Smirking, she lunged for his now unprotected chest. The demon swung his blade back down, an attempt to cleave Anko down the middle. _

_"Fool!" Anko thought as she used her kunai to block, giving her opponent an even weaker position. To her surprise, however, the blade continued its path through the small knife, severing her arm at the shoulder. _

_Anko screamed. Her nerves felt like they were on fire. Falling to her knees, she tried to stay conscious despite the excruciating pain. The demon rested his weapon under her neck, and she glared at him one more time in defiance. _

_Anko's severed neck rolled to the ground. Her headless body soon followed. It had been a clean blow, cauterizing instantly. _

_The demon suddenly looked up, staring at Naruto. The expressionless mask it wore bore down on him. Motioning to a couple of nearby men, it pointed in his direction. _

_All Naruto could do was run. His sister, his protector, was dead. Tears flew from his eyes as he ran through the large forest that surrounded Konoha. Anger filled him, rage against the men that killed the only person that truly cared for him. He would make them pay. He would destroy them, and anything that got in his way. It would … it would be his way of the ninja! It might have been his imagination, but he swore he heard dark chuckling from deep within his soul._

-break

Naruto woke up with a start, sweat drenching his body. He took deep breaths, an attempt to calm him down while he took in his surroundings. He was sitting in the tree he had decided to rest in, his nin scattered below. Sighing in relief, he settled back down.

**"Bad dream, Kit?" a dark voice in his head asked.**

"The worst…" the blond haired jinchuuriki responded. He shivered, imagining the black demon's masked eyes, before falling back to sleep.

-break

Shikamaru Nara stretched lazily on the large stone he had been using as a makeshift bed. He looked up, feeling the sun above him shine on his face. "It's about noon…" he thought, recognizing its position. The shinobi team always slept in after a raid; it was good to rest up the body, and it was even better for their psyche. It was no secret that killing could screw with your mind. Most shinobi had their own ways of dealing with it; many developing quirks to help them cope.

He shuddered; he never did acquire a taste for killing. His first kill had been an unarmored youth, no older than seventeen. He remembered how the boy's eyes had widened, his life-blood flowing out of the large gash in his neck. He remembered how the boy's throat struggled to draw breath, his eyes eventually realizing the futility. The boy had been a civilian, killed during one of their raids. Now Shikamaru only killed the soldiers, leaving the rest to the more sadistic members of the team, like Kisame and Sasori.

Opening one lazily eye, he scanned the camp site.

Kisame was busy chatting with Neji, cleaning Samehada with a dirty clothe. The shark man had struck up quite an odd relationship with the young Hyuuga. Their interactions were entertaining at worst, quite hilarious at best. More like a brotherly rivalry than a strained competition between former enemies.

Gaara was busy meditating, sand particles floating lazily around him. The red haired jinchuuriki was a mystery. He didn't talk nor did he seem to sleep. The only person who he would interact with at all was Naruto.

Haku sat near a fire, stirring the contents of a pot with a large wooden spoon, probably breakfast. The young man had taken on the responsibilities of team chef, a duty all the other nin were happy to give him. Strapped on his back was a large sword nearly as tall as he was. The black haired ice nin didn't even look like he could lift the blade, let alone use it in battle, but Shikamaru had seen him impale a stormtrooper on it and flick him to the side like it was nothing.

The other nin weren't there. They must be out on patrol or something.

The shinobi force was always scattered; it made sense in a tactical way. That way they couldn't all be wiped out at once. Not that it mattered anyways. The Empire had more men, more resources, and superior weapons. They killed maybe a couple hundred of soldiers a year, but there were thousands out there. Eventually, the surviving nin would be hunted down, it was only a matter of time. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Their only chance is if the Empire realizes that the cost to secure the planet would be too great and it cuts its losses. However, the probability of such an event was low, miniscule even.

Sighing, Shikamaru went back to sleep, not wanting to think anymore of those troubling thoughts.

-break

The present shinobi sat in a circle, their meal done.

Kisame threw his bowl to the ground in disgust. "This war is futile!"

Haku looked at the shark-man severely, "We should trust in Naruto-sama!"

"Just because you put your trust in a kid doesn't mean I do!" Kisame retorted, sneering at the younger ninja.

The calm voice of Naruto filled the meeting. "I believe I've proven myself to you already, Kisame-san." Heads turned to acknowledge their leader. "But I agree with you, guerilla warfare will no longer suffice." He motions to the sky, "We need to get off this planet."

"To what end, Naruto?" Shikamaru snorted, "There are only fourteen of us, we lack resources, we lack knowledge, and the Shinobi Remnants refuses to give us aid."

Kisame nodded, "The kid's right, Uzumaki. We're fucked."

"Not as much as you would think, Kisame," a rather deep voice interrupted. A large bulky form leapt down from a tree and clattered to the ground. He had black short hair, spiked in the back, and his face was covered by a cloth. However, his most unique feature was the wood and metal tail that weaved back and forth behind him, almost as if alive.

Naruto greeted him warmly, "Sasori-san, I hope your mission was a success."

The puppet master turned to look at his leader, "I managed to retrieve the parts we needed." He held up his hand revealing a small metal box connected with wires, and a hollow cylinder object. "I should be able to finish repairing the translator in a couple of days."

"I see," Shikamaru said, "With the translator, the language barrier with the Empire will be broken, and we can finally start gathering intelligence." He turned to his companion, "This would have been good to have a couple of years ago, right Kisame?"

The shark-nin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah…sorry about that!"

-flashback

The silver colored metal man would not shut up. It would screech in one language, and then switch to another, in an endless cycle of tedious noise. Kisame, the unfortunate one tasked with carrying it back to base, was at the end of his patience and sanity. "SHUT UP!!" With one hand he grabbed the droid by its neck and smashed its head repeatedly into the ground. The noises it was making distorted before stopping altogether. Wires were coming out of its cracked metal skull, one of its eyes were popping out of it, and the shark man heard rattling that he was sure wasn't there before.

Neji sweatdropped, "Maybe that was a little much…"

-end flashback

Sasori scolded the former mist nin, "Your lucky droids are so much like my puppets or we would have had no hope in fixing your mistake."

"We'll leave the past in the past, Sasori," Naruto commanded. Turning to his soldiers, "The first thing we're going to do when Sasori is done is learn the language of the enemy. With the knowledge we'll gain from its use, we'll find a find way to get off this graveyard that we call home."

"Hai!" was the obedient response.

-break

A few hours later, Shikamaru took another drag on his cigarette, one of his last ones. He stood in front of the grave of Ino Yamanaka, his wife. She had died during childbirth, her and the baby. Her pregnancy had given him such hope for a future, one that didn't necessarily revolve around killing. Her death took that, ripped it away, leaving behind a void in his heart and an empty shell in the form of a man. The only thing he had left was her family's techniques, the one's she taught him.

The two of them had been classmates before Konoha's destruction. Shikamaru hadn't really liked her that much; she was loud, annoying, and hopelessly infatuated with the Uchiha. Ino, for her part, didn't like him either. She would constantly call him lazy and cowardly. Normally he would have taken offense at such insults, but it was far too troublesome to argue with such a useless girl.

After the destruction of Konoha, the shinobi survivors had fled, and they met again in a shinobi refugee camp set up by the Hokage. It was a struggle, but eventually they grew close, and when they came of age, they married. Those were the happiest times of his life, despite the hardships and constant fear. They were two of a kind, and a deadly force on the battlefield. There was not a fight they couldn't win, nor a trap they couldn't escape. It seemed for a while, that death couldn't touch them. And then she was gone.

Footsteps interrupted his train of thought, and he turned to face his visitor.

"I thought I'd find you here," Naruto's comforting voice remarked.

"I miss her," the shadow user whispered, taking another long drag on his cigarette. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you do… we've all lost someone in this war. Her death was so meaningless, and you have my condolences."

Shikamaru tensed at hearing his someone talk about his wife like that. His anger slowly getting the better of him, "Then what about Chouji or Kiba; friends you sent to die!"

Naruto looked at him questionably, "They died for the greater good." His answer was so monotonous, so devoid of emotion that Shikamaru lost it.

"The greater good?" the shadow user spat, "Is that what you call this suicidal slaughter?"

A growl emitted from the jinchuuriki's throat. "Don't you DARE question my motives, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, turning to face the blonde. "I started questioning your motives a long time ago, Uzumaki!"

"This is war, Nara." Naruto replied coldly, his eyes promising no compromise.

"Your right! This is war! We lost! Get over it!" Shikamaru growled through clenched teeth.

"Then why are you still fighting?" the anger apparent on the blonde's face.

Shikamaru motioned to the sky, "Because like you, I believe it's the only way our people can survive!"

The blonde scowled, "Then what's the problem?"

"I worry, Uzumaki. We murder people; it's our job and what we were trained to do. But when is enough, enough!" Shikamaru yelled. "We've killed countless soldiers, destroyed hundreds of their blasted machines, but when we entered colonies. When we killed civilians, that's when we crossed the line. Remember those kids! Did you kill them because it was necessary?"

Naruto bristled and his eyes darkened. "Leave, Nara," he growled, "before I do something I'll regret."

The two stared at each other, Naruto's normally sky blue eyes flashing red, before shifting back to normal.

Shikamaru shivered suddenly, then hardened back up, ashamed at his appearance of weakness. Scowling, he walked away before disappearing with a burst of speed.

-break

"Damn you! " Naruto internally yelled. As he much as he would like to deny it, what Shikamaru had said had gotten to him. When is enough, enough? The killing of Imperial citizens was justified, wasn't it? The Imperials showed no mercy to his people, why should he show mercy to theirs? For the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to think. He walked off; he had some thinking to do.

-break

Shikamaru once again questioned his choice to join the Kyuubi container. While Naruto was certainly powerful, the fact that he had a demon sealed in his stomach made him untrustworthy and prone to emotional outbursts. He sighed. Perhaps provoking him hadn't been the best idea. He had felt the hate emanate off the blonde, and realized just how close he had been to getting killed. He had no illusions about his strength, if Naruto decided to kill him, he would die. He definitely needed to rethink his loyalties. Perhaps, the Konoha Remnant would take him back. One thing was for certain, he had some thinking to do.

-break

"FUCK!!!!" Sasuke yelled, his sharingan whirling as he dodged blaster shot after blaster shot. He really should have thought this out more. He was completely surrounded by enemy soldiers, and they were close enough where he could see his own reflection in their helmets. This was not good.

The ground shook, the vibrations causing several of the stormtroopers to lose balance and fall. Something big was coming his way. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke grabbed his right hand with his left, pointing it to the ground.

"CHIDORI!" The chirping of birds filled the clearing as blue chakra encased his hand, lightning dancing up his arms.

He would show them the power of an Uchiha.


End file.
